Akka Shifts its US Strategy and Goes India-Centric

/ March 12, 2021

Akka Technologies made a significant shift in its US strategy with the appointment of Dharam Sheoran. Mr. Sheroan joined from Wipro and must have been an ideal candidate for Akka. At Wipro, he headed several global service lines, including automotive and A&D. His experience, therefore, matches Akka’s presence and ambitions in the country.

Unofficial: Renault Selects its Four ER&D Preferred Vendors

/ July 24, 2020

According to unofficial sources, Renault has now finalized its list of preferred ER&D service vendors, reducing it from nine vendors to four. The four winners are Akka, Bertrandt, Expleo, and Segula. They will now grab 80% of Renault’s ER&D spending and double their market shares.

Bertrandt Suffers from its Lack of Diversification in Q2 FY20

/ June 5, 2020

A bit more than two years ago, the share of Bertrandt was above EUR 100 and its market cap above EUR 1bn. Investors liked Bertrandt’s annual growth of 10% and its high-single-digit EBIT margin. Today, Bertrandt’s market cap varies between EUR350-400m, and the financial performance continues to deteriorate.

Bertrandt: Soft Quarter in Q1 FY20

/ February 23, 2020

Bertrandt had a soft quarter in Q1 FY20 (corresponding to calendar Q4 2019): revenues were flat (+0.4%) to EUR 263m, impacted by project delays, and reduced utilization rates in its Digital Engineering (DE) unit (-3.0%). DE, Bertrandt’s largest unit (55% of revenues), suffered from Germany OEMs shifting their R&D spending to digital.

UPDATED: Segula finalizes its outsourcing contract with PSA. Reduced scope!

/ August 30, 2019

PSA finalized its outsourcing contract with Segula, almost one year after it was announced. Looking at the details, the scope of the contract is much smaller than expected, with the people transfer initially involving 700 employees, rather than the 2,000 expected. Segula has agreed to take over the new engineers and guaranteed similar wages and benefits and also purchasing buildings and facilities.

Cyient’s revenues decline in Q1 FY20

/ July 22, 2019

Cyient’s revenues in Q1 FY20 declined, slightly, by 2.6% yoy. The decline came as a surprise as the company had signaled it had bottomed out in Q4 FY19.

Segula open a new delivery center in the east of France

/ April 17, 2019

Segula Technologies has opened a new delivery center, close to Montbéliard, in the east of France. Segula will use the delivery center for its offsite projects, targeting the automotive industry (i.e., PSA) and its suppliers initially. Over time, Segula wants to diversify its client base to other sectors.

Volkswagen and Ford to work together on commercial vehicles

/ January 15, 2019

As expected, Volkswagen and Ford have provided some detail on their long-awaited partnership. Ford will design and build mid-sized pickups for Volkswagen, with the first vehicles ready in 2022. It will also build large commercial vans, while Volkswagen will develop a city van. In addition, the two firms intend to work together on mobility services, EVs and autonomous vehicles.